


Even a Burglar Has Feelings

by serenbach



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Fluff, Forgiveness, Gift Giving, M/M, making amends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-01
Updated: 2014-05-01
Packaged: 2018-01-21 11:01:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1548302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serenbach/pseuds/serenbach
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The recovery after the battle has been long and slow, but it is finally time for the Elvenking and his retinue to leave.</p><p>Thorin is not all that happy when Bilbo gives Thranduil a gift however, but at least it leads to a long-overdue discussion between them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Even a Burglar Has Feelings

**Author's Note:**

> In the book, Bilbo gives Thranduil some pearls to make up for all the food he stole when hiding in his kingdoms.
> 
> I couldn't help but wonder how the Thorin who lives in Happyeverafterland would feel about that.
> 
> In my head the scene in the forest and dungeons takes place over a longer time than it seems in the film, closer to how it is in the book.

The recovery after the Battle was long and slow.

Thorin himself was bed-bound for much longer than he was happy with, though as it was pointed out to him repeatedly by everyone - from Oin to Gandalf to Thranduil himself (much to Thorin’s displeasure) - he had come very close to death and no good would come of pushing himself before he was ready. It was weeks until he could take a deep breath without his lungs burning him, longer still before his left leg could support his weight. 

But Thorin recovered, bit by bit, and his nephews along with him, though they had feared for Kili for the longest time. He’d been mistaken for dead when they had carried him from the battlefield, and it was the only the stubborn tenacity of the same she-elf who had helped to imprison them in Mirkwood that had saved his life, and then Fili’s too. 

Thorin decided that he could turn a blind eye to Kili and Tauriel not-so-subtly mooning over each other in exchange for the wellbeing of both his sister-sons. The less he knew about that the better, for everyone.

Thorin’s relationship with his burglar took time to recover, as well. 

Although Bilbo had tearfully accepted Thorin’s apology and offered his own when they had both thought that he was on his death-bed, once he had recovered, things between them were… stilted.

Thorin knew it would not be easy to re-establish what had grown between them on their journey. The respect he had developed for Bilbo after he had saved his life had only deepened into true affection, and then love. It had been more than Thorin had hoped for to realise that Bilbo felt the same.

But his gold-lust and Bilbo’s theft of the Arkenstone had halted the progress of their relationship. Where once there had been conversation and comfortable silences between them, now there was no talk at all and the silences echoed with things unsaid. Where the touches between them had been growing casual and bold, now there was nothing but any fleeting brushes of skin when Bilbo helped to change his bandages – and Bilbo was exquisitely careful to ensure that it didn’t happen.

Thorin loved Bilbo, still, especially after coming so close to being parted from him forever. He also knew – he hoped – that Bilbo felt the same way about him. He could tell from the way Bilbo stared at him when he thought that he wasn’t being observed and how Bilbo slipped into his tent every night to check on him (Thorin had not let on to Bilbo that he knew about this). 

Thorin just didn’t know how to mend what was broken between them. Swords, shields or saucepans were easy enough to repair, but the fixing of wounded feelings lay outside of his area of expertise. 

Perhaps in hindsight, sending Bilbo a small chest of treasure that he had personally filled with his favourite choices from the selection bought to him by a smiling Balin and a grumbling Dwalin (as he was _still _not permitted to leave the healing tent) along with a note apologising that it was not the fourteenth share that he had once been promised was not the best way of going about fixing things.__

__On the plus side, it did lead to Bilbo storming into his tent, riled enough to forget his formal manners and impersonal touches. He had stomped over to Thorin’s pallet, jabbed his finger into Thorin’s chest, for once ignoring the bandages, and demanded; “Do you still think so little of me? Do you think that I am still only here for the treasure? That it _matters _to me after the battle? Is that what you really believe of me, Thorin?”___ _

____Thorin had covered Bilbo’s hand with his own, flattening his palm against his chest. “No, Bilbo,” he had replied as gently as he knew how. “That’s not what I think at all.”_ _ _ _

____There was a frozen moment when Thorin thought that maybe he had ruined things between them for good, before Bilbo lurched forwards and pressed an ardent, desperate, clumsy kiss against his mouth, one that Thorin returned reverently, pulling Bilbo forward onto his lap._ _ _ _

____And that was when Bilbo started to share a pallet with him. Thorin thought that it was worth the torn stitches and the aggravated lecture from Oin, though Bilbo still blushed a mortified scarlet whenever the matter was raised._ _ _ _

____Although there were times when Thorin started awake from nightmares where he had not heeded Gandalf’s call to let Bilbo go free and had instead dropped him, and although Bilbo still went very quiet and (literally) disappeared for a few hours every time the Arkenstone was mentioned, Thorin knew that their relationship was strong enough to last through the remnants of the disaster that had occurred on Erebor’s battlements, the way a broken sword made anew was stronger because of the damage it had once seen._ _ _ _

____While Thorin recovered and reconnected with his burglar, the restoration of Erebor continued at a fast pace. Thorin oversaw as much of it as he could from his sickbed, though it was Balin and Dain who ensured that his orders were carried out. But Erebor was slowly becoming inhabitable once more, decades of damage was being undone, the treasure-horde was shared out between those who had a claim to it, and the Arkenstone was in its rightful place above the throne._ _ _ _

____All was going better than Thorin had ever dreamt of, when he’d had that first meeting with Gandalf in Bree a year and a half ago._ _ _ _

____And even better, most of the wounded had been declared well on the road to discovery, which, while good news in itself, also meant that the Elvenking and his retinue were finally, _finally leaving_._ _ _ _

____Bidding them an official farewell was Thorin’s first active duty as king since the battle, even if he did have to lean on a crutch to do it. Bilbo stood at his side, a fact that distinctly tempered his displeasure at having to be diplomatic to Thranduil._ _ _ _

____They made it through the formalities pleasantly enough, even if Thorin had to grind his teeth when he bade them a safe journey, and Thranduil looked like he had taken a bite of something incredibly sour when he wished Thorin a long and successful reign._ _ _ _

____But just before the Elvenking turned to leave, Bilbo cleared his throat and stammered nervously, “My lord, I beg of you to accept this gift.” And from his pocket he drew out a strand of pearls, one that Thorin had especially chosen for him, and handed it to Thranduil._ _ _ _

____The Elvenking ran the necklace of pearls through his fingers, looking puzzled. “In what way have I earned such a gift?”_ _ _ _

____Bilbo flushed, but met his gaze steadily. “I thought that some little return should be made for your, er, hospitality. I have drunk much of your wine and eaten much of your bread.”_ _ _ _

____Thranduil’s gaze sharpened and Thorin knew that he had solved at least part of the mystery of how they had managed to escape his dungeon. But he nodded and tucked the pearls away as he replied. “I accept your gift, Bilbo Baggins,” and then, with a little smirk towards Thorin he added, “and I name you elf-friend and blessed.”_ _ _ _

____They exchanged a few more pleasantries that Thorin ignored, and then, at long last, the elves set out towards Mirkwood._ _ _ _

____Bilbo turned to him, and when he noticed his frown, sighed. “I’m sorry that I didn’t ask you first…”_ _ _ _

____“I gave you that treasure to do with whatever you wished,” Thorin interrupted. He didn’t want Bilbo to think that he was angry that he had given Thranduil treasure, because he wasn’t, not any more than he had been when he watched the elves load up chests of treasure onto the backs of those ridiculous elks of theirs. He just wished that it hadn’t been one of the treasures that Thorin had specifically chosen for him, even though he knew that Bilbo would not have meant any offence to him by it._ _ _ _

____“It wasn’t a gift, exactly,” Bilbo said. “More of a repayment. Although we hobbits are quite hospitable, taking food from another’s pantry without asking first is the height of bad manners, and I just wanted to… make up for it, I suppose. Even a burglar has feelings.”_ _ _ _

____Thorin took Bilbo’s hands and squeezed them, putting aside his lingering discontent at the downcast look on Bilbo’s face. “Then you should have stolen more,” Thorin informed him, “for you overpaid for those paltry scraps you managed to scrounge.”_ _ _ _

____Bilbo laughed, but his sad, pensive mood didn’t fade for the rest of the day._ _ _ _

____Later that night, their first night in the newly refurbished royal chambers, Bilbo put his teacup down on the hearth with a little clink, and said softly, “I just wish it was as easy to make amends for stealing the…”_ _ _ _

____“Bilbo,” Thorin interrupted him, finally understanding the source of his quiet, depressed mood. “You have no need to make amends to me.”_ _ _ _

____“But I made such a mess of things!” he exclaimed, wringing his hands together. Thorin leaned forward and gripped them tightly in his own._ _ _ _

____“And I made an even worse mess of them first,” he pointed out. “You were just trying to fix my mistakes.”_ _ _ _

____“There were so many other things I could have done…” Bilbo trailed off when Thorin leaned forward to kiss him, before he drew away, suddenly nervous._ _ _ _

____“If you still feel the need to make amends to me,” he began, “then you could stay here in Erebor. With me.”_ _ _ _

____Bilbo’s smile was slow and brilliant. “I was going to do that anyway.”_ _ _ _

____Thorin cleared his suddenly dry throat. “That’s even better. That way I can make my amends to you by ensuring that you’ll be happy here, Bilbo.”_ _ _ _

____Bilbo kissed him deeply, and it felt different somehow, free of the hurts and fears that had remained between them, before Bilbo drew back just enough to press their foreheads together. “That sounds like an excellent plan to me.”_ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> The title of the fic and most of the words from the conversation between Bilbo and Thranduil is taken directly from chapter 18 _The Return Journey_.
> 
> And now, back to my Big Bang fic.


End file.
